Woman probably oldest South Carolinian dies in Spartanburg

Tuesday

Jan 15, 2013 at 8:33 PM

A Spartanburg woman thought to be South Carolina's oldest living person has died.

By TREVOR ANDERSONtrevor.anderson@shj.com

A Spartanburg woman thought to be South Carolina's oldest living person has died.Sue Lee Keown Sanders, who had lived at Emeritus at Skylyn Place for the past 12 years, passed away at the assisted-living facility on Tuesday. She was 111 years old.Sanders unofficially took over the title as the state's oldest person after the death of 114-year-old Mamie Rearden, of Edgefield two weeks ago.Known for her high energy, great patience and thirst for knowledge, Sanders was recognized at her 110th birthday with a commendation from the South Carolina House of Representatives for her outstanding services to her state and community.The former teacher, artist and homemaker, lived through two world wars and the Great Depression. She saw Halley's Comet twice, witnessed the terms of 19 United States presidents and survived everything from a tornado at age 8 to a broken leg in her late 90s.“She was interested in everything,” said Sanders' daughter, Anne Sanders Wilson, of Woodruff. “She enjoyed people and was interested in what they were doing … She was not a quitter. She was a determined person; self-reliant. She was the matriarch the light of our family. My children loved to go see her. She had time for each grandchild even though she was a busy person.”Sanders was born on Jan. 9, 1902, in Athens, Ga., to William Walter Keown and Sue Mattison Keown. She was the sibling of Lucille Keown Brown, Mamie Keown Price, William Warren Keown and James Alexander Keown, who are deceased.In 1921, she graduated from the Georgia State Teachers College in her hometown. She then went on to teach school in Athens, Salisbury, N.C., Columbia and McCormick, where she met her husband Harvey Sanders, who passed away in 1980.Sanders was beloved by her students and was honored on several occasions by her former pupils and their families. Throughout her life she produced many paintings that are still treasured and displayed by family and friends.In addition to teaching and art, Sanders was involved in church and civic activities. She was a member of First Baptist Church in McCormick and active in the Daughters of the American Revolution from which she received several regional recognitions for her service.

Sanders celebrated her 111th birthday last week surrounded by family and friends at Mary Black Hospital, where she had been briefly admitted for a bout with pneumonia. According to her family, she was alert and happy.“She was a kind, gentle lady who cared a great deal about her family,” said her son, Harvey Sanders Jr., who lives in Greenville. “She cared deeply about young people and enjoyed the challenge of teaching. Her students were very fond of her … She was a person of high-energy. She was always doing something, but she also loved to read. The last thing I saw her do every night was read. She was interested in people and in events. She had a great memory.”Sanders moved to Spartanburg from McCormick in 2000 to be closer to her family.She is survived by her two children and six grandchildren, Lisa Anne Wilson of Woodruff; Daniel Steele Wilson, Stephen Sanders Wilson and Suzanne Sanders Putnam, all of Spartanburg; Barry Langley Sanders of Pawleys Island; and Rev. Harvey G. Sanders III Winston-Salem, N.C. She also has numerous great grandchildren and one great great grandchild; and many nieces and nephews.“You couldn't help but benefit from just being around someone like her,” Harvey Sanders Jr. said. “We will miss her.”Visitation will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday at McCormick First Baptist Church on Oak Street in McCormick, followed by a memorial service at 2:00 p.m., to be conducted by Rev. Dennis Lynn. Burial will follow the service in McCormick City Cemetery.In lieu of flowers, the family asked that memorials be made to McCormick First Baptist Church or to one's favorite charity.The family also extended a special thanks to Lucille Evans, Lynn Burnett, and Carlotta Glenn, who provided loving care and encouragement to Sanders during the past several years, as well as to the staff of Skylyn Place.

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